Stranger in the Shadows
by PokeCardcaptorTsubasa
Summary: All May ever really wanted is love.But when a mysterious stranger saved her from being raped,she falls in love with e stranger,who is known as Shadow,gave May a test to guess who he really is. To May, he somehow reminds her of someone. Advanceshipping.
1. Searching for Love

**I am back with a vengeance! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!*cough**cough* **

**Anyways, I'm on a different computer writing this fanfic that I just came up with.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. If I do, well you know what I mean.**

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Stranger in the Shadows

Chapter 1: Searching for Love

In a city, there are many people walking around, cheerful and full of energy. Buildings as tall as the eye can see are all around and children played in the park laughed merrily. Everyone seems to be having a good time in none other than Petalburg City. That is, except for one person that is. One woman to be exact.

Her name: May Maple. May has recently turned 20 a few months ago on her birthday and is considered to be the most gorgeous woman in Petalburg City. She is wearing a yellow dress that goes down to her knees and white sandals. A heart-shaped sapphire with a golden border shines in the sunlight as the brunette looks down to the ground. May is feeling downcast as her tears falls down her cheeks. It is a warm, sunny day as the depressed brunette sits on a bench, all alone.

"I think I should be heading back home now," said May glumly as she wipes her tears away.

Everyone in Petalburg City admires May. Not only is she beautiful and a skilled coordinator, she happens to be the daughter of Norman, the gym leader of Petalburg City.

Girls envied her, children looked up to her, older men and women are fond of her, and every guy in Petalburg City is madly in love with her. But in May's case, she is not liking herself at the moment. May has been asking what is wrong with herself. She has a great family, captured and trained some pokemon who helped her win her contests, and everyone she know of has been so nice to her.

May looked at a couple who is smiling and giggling among themselves. May turned her head to her left and saw a man proposes to a woman. The woman gasped and kissed the man passionately as the engagement ring is slipped onto her finger. May turned her head to her right and saw another man and woman with a baby in its stroller. May started to dash towards her house, leaving a trail of tears behind. May ran into her house, she rushed up the stairs and into her bedroom. She fell onto her bed and cried into her pillow.

_It's not fair!_ May thought sadly _How can I fall in love with someone if I don't have any interest in any of the guys who loves me! I really want to be with someone who loves me as much as I love him, get married, and have children together. But where am I going to find such a man!_

"May, are you home?" said a voice from downstairs.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm in here," May replied.

The bedroom door opened to reveal a woman in her forties as she walks over to her daughter.

"What's wrong? Why are you so upset?" May's mother, Caroline, tries to console her while stroking her soft brown hair.

"I am having trouble finding love in my life!" May yelled.

"Calm down, dear. I know you will find someone soon."

"But I am not getting any younger! I will be living a miserable life and I might even die while I am still young!" May's depression worsens as she think more about her situation.

"Don't worry about it. All you have to do is listen to your heart."

Caroline decided to leave May alone to think to herself and left the room. May was silent for a few minutes.

"Listen to my heart?" May said to herself, "How is that going to help me with my problem?"

Soon day turned to night and May cried in her sleep. The next day, May decided to go on a walk.

"I'm going out for a while," May said out loud for her parents to hear.

"I hope you will find a man while you are out," Caroline said with a smile.

"If you do, please don't do anything sexual. Wait until you get married to do that," Norman said sternly.

"Dad!" May shouted as she blushed deeply.

"Yeah May," said Max, "You wouldn't want to get pregnant before you get married." Max snickered.

May ran out the door before she dies of embarrassment.

_What were they thinking? _May thought as she ran towards the woods.

When May ran deep into the forest, she saw a stream flowing across her path. May sat down on the grass as her embarrassment turns to sadness. May sighed as she sat down, deep in thought. She remembered all the guys whom she had met ever since she began her journey in Hoenn. First there was Drew who always gives her roses every time they meet. May has a strong dislike for him at first but somehow she started to have a crush on him. However, Drew decided to flirt with another girl and May outgrew her crush. There was also Brock, who falls in love with almost every girl he sees, Tracey, Professor Oak's assistant, and Gary, Professor Oak's grandson. But May doesn't have interest in any of them. Finally, there was the first guy she met on her journey, Ash Ketchum. She have to admit he was pretty cute when she saw him. A little dense though but he cares about his friends and his pokemon. But after he came back home after losing in the Sinnoh league, Ash disappeared. No one has any idea where he has gone to. All that was left behind of him was a note on the day he disappeared. The note said that he come back to obtain the love of his life. May and the others were shocked to figure out that Ash loves someone. But the question is, who is it?

May got up and looked at her reflection on the stream. All of a sudden, she saw something blue in the water. It jumped out and May catches it in her arms. May could not believe who she is holding! It was Manaphy who believed that May was his mother when he hatched out of his egg.

"Mama! Happy! Love you!" Manaphy cried as he hugs May. May started to cry as she hugs Manaphy back.

"Mama, what's wrong?" said Manaphy.

"I am so happy to see you and it looks like you learned more on human speech. But I am also sad because…because I want to be with someone I like! But I can't find a guy to fall in love with!" May burst into tears as she said this.

Manaphy wiped his mother's tears away and said "Well, what about Dada? Don't you love him?"

May stopped crying with a confused expression on her face.

"Dada?" May questioned Manaphy.

"I swam away from my home to see you and Dada. One day, I saw Dada crying on a beach so I went over to comfort him. When I said Dada to him, he became surprised and fainted. When he woke up, he was still shocked about what I said and I asked him where Mama is. He started to cry and I asked him what's wrong. He said that he has been trying to figure out how to impress you, Mama, and he wanted to tell you how much he loves you. When I told him that I am going to see you, he told me to tell you exactly what he told me," Manaphy said.

"What did he want to tell me?" May asked.

"He said he will do anything for you. You are like an angel who came down from Heaven to make his life much happier than it was. He would risk his life to save you from trouble even if he has to die, he would die for you. He wanted to do everything that he can to make your life happy."

May could not believe what she is hearing. Whoever Manaphy's father was, he is in love with her.

"Manaphy, do you know where Dada is?" May asked again.

"Why? Do you want to see Dada?" Manaphy asked.

"Yes Manaphy, I want to see Dada," May said with a smile on her face. May realized she might be able to find a guy to fall in love with!

"Yay!" Manaphy cheered and jumped up in the air with glee. "Mama and Dada are going to be together!"

"I have to pack up some things and say goodbye to my parents and my brother first," May said to Manaphy, "How about we meet in Littleroot Town so we can leave to see Dada."

"Okay!" Manaphy replied, "Dada is going to be so happy when he sees you!"

Later on, May packed up her things in a bag with a shoulder strap, said goodbye to her family, and head to Littleroot Town. She spotted Manaphy in a port with a Wailmer.

"Hop onto Wailmer, Mama!" Manaphy shouted.

May took a deep breath and jumped onto Wailmer, barely missing contact with the water.

"Okay, let's go!" said Manaphy enthusiastically as he, Wailmer, and May head off to see Manaphy's father.

After a week of what seems to be endless swimming, they arrived in Ever Grande City. In the shadows in an alley, a mysterious figure spotted May, Manaphy, and Wailmer. His eyes focus on May and he was surprised to see how beautiful she really is. He gawked at May for a moment and he retreated before May spotted him. May thought that someone was watching her but she rubbed it off as she got off the Wailmer onto a beach. The stranger came back to his original position and stared at May once again.

"I can't believe it," the stranger said to himself, "She's here. She's really here. I have to thank Manaphy later."

The stranger left, hoping he will be able to meet up with his dream girl.

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**Awww…I thought I would come up with a better way for you-know-who to describe his feelings for May but it was harder than I thought it would be. I'm going to need some more inspiration. Oh, and no flames and spoilers! Yes, this is an Advanceshipping fanfic(later on that is) and if you don't like the shipping why did you even bother to read it?**


	2. A Daring Rescue

**You know I would appreciate it if I have more reviews. Just remember no flames and no spoilers!**

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Stranger in the Shadows

Chapter 2: A Daring Rescue

May is standing on a beach with Manaphy and Wailmer in the clear, blue water. May looked around and she can only see white sand and some Wingulls flying in the air.

"Hmm," Manaphy said sadly, "It looks like Dada is not here."

May sighed in disappointment because she was looking forward to meeting this man.

"Don't give up Mama. Dada is here. I know he is," said Manaphy as he tried to cheer his mother up.

"You're right, Manaphy," said May, "but I am tired after riding on that Wailmer."

May realized that the sun is setting as she looks out on the horizon. It seems to be the perfect setting for a romantic date. The only problem for May is that she does not have a boyfriend.

"I better go to a Pokemon Center to sleep for the night and then I will find my mystery man!" said May confidently.

"That's the spirit!" Manaphy beamed.

Manaphy turned to Wailmer. "Thanks for all your help, Wailmer," said Manaphy to Wailmer.

"Wail-mer," Wailmer replied happily as it dived into the water.

"I know you will find Dada, Mama!" said Manaphy in an encouraging voice.

"Thanks Manaphy," said May as she head off to find a Pokemon Center.

It was getting darker by the minute and May feels lost in the city. May started to look at her surroundings. The walls of the buildings are dark and with no sunlight reaching them, it appears the entire area is in a shadow. May realized that she walked into an alley and ran as fast as she can but she couldn't see anything in the dark. A dark figure smirked as he saw the young woman.

"Hehehe," the figure turned out to be a roughneck who won't stop staring at May, "I'll have some fun with this cute chick."

As soon as May walked by without noticing him, he grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her on the ground.

"Who are you? What are you doing? Get off of me! May shouted.

The roughneck covered her mouth before she could scream. May struggled to get free with little success. She somehow managed to pull the roughneck's hand away from her mouth.

"Help!" May screamed.

Someone heard a scream and ran as fast as he could to see where it was coming from. It was the very same man who saw May entering the city. As soon as he got to the alley, he watched in horror in a corner of the alley as a woman was about to get raped. He became even more horrified when he got a closer look at the woman who turned out to be May. The stranger couldn't bear to watch May who was about to have her first kiss with another man and lose her virginity. He became enraged and he balled up his hands into fists.

"I'm not going to let that guy get away with this. He's got another thing coming," the stranger growled, "He'll think twice before messing with a girl. Not when I'm through with him."

"Come on, sweetheart. Pucker up," the roughneck said seductively. May refused to kiss the roughneck by turning her head to the side but the roughneck forcefully move her head towards him and used his fingers to her lips up. May braced herself as the roughneck is about to close the gap between himself and her. Suddenly, the roughneck couldn't breathe and May opened her eyes to see two hands gripped around the roughneck's neck.

"Get your filthy hands off her, bastard," said a harsh voice as the hands tighten its grip. May stared up at a man wearing black clothes and a mask covering his face. May's savior threw the roughneck into a wall and he was knocked out. He went over to May and offered his hand to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," May stuttered. May put her hand onto her savior's, got up, and was quickly pulled into a hug. May was blushing furiously as she felt the muscles on his arms. Suddenly, her savior shouted in pain as a knife was thrust into his back. May gasped as she saw the roughneck grinning as he pulled his knife out.

"You shouldn't be hugging a girl I like," the roughneck smirked.

"You can hurt me all you want but don't you dare get close to her or else!" May's savior shouted.

"Or else what?" The roughneck laughed.

"This!"

A blue ball glowed in his hand and was launched at the roughneck. It was a direct hit and the roughneck was out cold.

_Was that Aura Sphere?_ thought May.

"We better get out of here while we still can. I know a place where you can stay," the stranger said.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" May asked.

"Don't worry about me, May," the stranger replied.

_How does he know my name?_ thought May.

May was starting to feel tired and she fell asleep. The stranger turned around and saw May sleeping on his back. He picked her up and carry her bridal style. Underneath the mask he is wearing, he is smiling at her. He carried her to a mansion on top of a hill where the entire city can be seen from there. The stranger went inside the mansion with May sleeping peacefully in his arms. He carried her to his bedroom and lay her on a king-sized bed. He removed his cloak, shirt, and mask and went to a mirror to examine his cut. Bright red blood ooze out of the cut and running down his back. The stranger went to a bathroom, got a washcloth, and run it under hot water.

"Pikachu!" the stranger called to his long-time friend. A yellow mouse with pointed ears with black tips, red cheeks, round black eyes, brown stripes on its back, and a zigzag- shaped tail showed up and was shocked to see his trainer got hurt.

"Wipe the blood away with this," the stranger said as he handed the washcloth over to Pikachu.

Pikachu starts wiping away the blood on his trainer's back. The stranger cringed as he felt the pain from his cut.

"Pika! Pika Pikachu! said Pikachu with worry.

"I got stabbed by a man who was about to rape May," said the stranger as he pointed to May on the bed.

"Pikachu Pikapi Pikachu, Pika," said Pikachu as he ran into the bathroom and came out with a large bandage.

"I know I have to be more careful next time but I'm willing to protect May from any kind of danger," said the stranger. He put his clothes and mask back on after Pikachu put the bandage on him so he wouldn't reveal his identity to May when she wakes up.

"Pikachu Pika," Pikachu smirked after he said this.

"Are you calling me a love struck fool?" the stranger retorted.

"Pika," said Pikachu smiling slyly.

Pikachu ran off and came back with a small pillow in his paws.

"Pikachu!" cried Pikachu with joy, "Pika, Pikachu."

Pikachu kissed the pillow a few times while saying, "Pi-ka, Pi-ka, Pi-ka." Pikachu fell down on the floor and burst into laughing.

The stranger realized that Pikachu was mocking him by imitating him and using the pillow as May and pretending that he was kissing her. His face was heating up from embarrassment and was at a loss for words for a moment.

"J-Just go back to your room b-before you do o-other s-silly th-things," the stranger stuttered.

Pikachu snickered as he went out of the bedroom.

_There's no doubt that I'm in love with May _the stranger thought.

He lay down on the bed and put the covers over himself and her.

"I'll give her a test tomorrow so she can figure out who I really am," the stranger said, "Until then…" He took off his mask and kissed May on her right cheek. "Sweet dreams, my love."

The stranger put his mask back on and drifted off to sleep.

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**Many of you are probably saying "Wow that was fast!" but I actually wrote down Chapters 1 and 2 on paper and my family was busy on the computer. It has dial-up which makes uploading a website SLOW. Ahhhhhh…..Will somebody please kill me while I'm waiting forever for this(Don't take this literally. It's a rhetorical question)?Oh and by the way, I was about to post Chapter 2 up last night but this random scene with Pikachu teasing you-know-who came up and I just HAD to put it in. Please review! **


	3. Seeking For Answers

**Dang it. So much for the suspense. Everyone should have kept their mouths shut when they knew who the stranger really is. However, May doesn't know who he is…yet. I guess I can allow spoilers now. But there will still be no evil flames!**

**Oh, there will be some OCs who will be appearing in this chapter and in later chapters.**

**For those of you who are wondering about why Manaphy is in the story, he will be very helpful in a later chapter. **

**Phew! Man this chapter took longer than the other two chapters!**

**Disclaimer:I do not own Pokemon.**

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Chapter 3:Seeking for Answers

May woke up to find herself on a bed along with the man who saved her from the roughneck. She was blushing enormously when she realized that her savior is hugging her and her face was an inch away from his face. She would be even more embarrassed if the mask would not be in the way. May pulled her face away but she wanted to stay in the man's arms forever. She put her arms around the man and hugged back.

"I wonder what he looks like underneath that mask," said May, "I bet he is really handsome."

"You have to guess who I am first," said the stranger all of a sudden.

May was startled and respond with a "Wha!"

"Morning, Beautiful!" the stranger called.

"H-H-How long have you been awake?" May asked while blushing at his greeting.

"A few minutes before you woke up," the stranger said as he started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Hmph," said May as she put her arms across her chest, "That was not funny."

"Aww, I'm sorry," said the stranger, "I couldn't help but notice how cute you look when you fluster."

May was blushing so much, her face was as red as a tomato.

"Okay, first you were teasing me, now you are flirting with me? What is up with you?" asked May annoyed.

"Come on. It's obvious that you like me and when I said like, I mean _like_ _like_," said the stranger, ignoring May's question and focusing on her face.

"That is not true!" May lied as she got out of the bed with her face that is still red.

"Your face is telling me the opposite of what you are saying," said the stranger matter-of-factly.

"What do you know about me? Now if you excuse me, I have to go now," said May as she was on her way out of the mansion.

The stranger followed her.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to thank me for saving you and giving you a place to sleep for the night?" the stranger inquired.

"I would have if you weren't flirting with me," said May flatly.

"That was a compliment! You're overreacting! The stranger yelled.

"I can tell the difference between giving a compliment and flirting!" May argued, "You're just like those guys back in Petalburg City who are always begging to go out with me. Even the guys who are going out with their girlfriends."

May folded her arms across her chest. The stranger was ready to counter May's argument by shouting at her some more but he calmed down instead.

"Really?" the stranger asked with curiosity, "You're quite the popular lady, aren't you?"

"Oh you have no idea," said May as she explained her situation to the stranger.

_Flashback_

_May opened the door to find hundreds of guys in the front yard. The guys cheered and whistled at her._

"_Please go out with me!" said one of the guys._

"_Buzz off loser!" said an older, better looking guy, "Hey cutie, you want to hang out with me?"_

"_Hey! I was here before you guys!" said a man who was the same age as May, "Don't listen to them. One of them is a geek, the other is a jerk."_

"_Hey!" shouted the other two guys._

"_Anyways, I was hoping we would go out sometime."_

"_Jack!" yelled a woman with anger, "How many times do I have to tell you not to be near her?" The girl pointed to May. "She is nothing more but an ugly and devious witch who likes to go out with as many guys as she want!"_

"_That's not true! You're just jealous of May and she's nicer than you have been lately, Carrie," said Jack in a serious tone._

"_Are you breaking up with me?" asked Carrie, whimpering._

"_I'm sorry but you need to learn by thinking about others rather than yourself," said Jack in a serious tone._

"_This is all YOUR fault!" Carrie shouted at May._

_Carrie began to attack May by punching her in the stomach. She picked May up and threw her against a wall in the house and beat her up. The guys watched helplessly at May because they were too scared to stop the rampageous girl from attacking her._

"_Somebody please help me!" cried May._

_Norman and Caroline showed up to see what the commotion was all about. They were filled with dread when they saw May with some horrible bruises on her arms and legs. Norman grabbed Carrie and held her with his arms around Carrie's waist. Caroline examined her daughter lying on the floor. She wrapped her arms around May with tears in her eyes._

"_WHY DID YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER?" Norman shouted furiously at Carrie._

"_Why? WHY? Thanks to that bitch, my boyfriend broke up with me! She deserves to die!"_

_Carrie was getting angrier when she shouted at Norman, telling him to let her go so she can get rid of May once and for all._

"_You are no longer allowed to come to this gym anymore. I've trusted you because you were the daughter of a good friend of mine but after what you have done to May I will never forgive you. You will leave right now!"_

_Norman threw Carrie out of his house._

"_This isn't over!" Carrie screamed, "If I can't get a guy, May won't get one either! She is a spoiled brat who will turn down every man she will meet because she is not even good enough for them!" _

_Carrie ran away into the unknown who was never seen again since that day._

"May," the stranger was shocked to hear about what May had gone through, "What happened after that?"

"Everything went black and then I found myself in a hospital," said May, "I suffered some bad injuries but I recovered in a week."

May started to cry. The stranger looked at May with pity. He decided to comfort her by giving her a hug. May stopped crying and returned the hug.

"Thanks. I needed that. Thank you for saving me, um…"

"Shadow."

"Shadow, huh? A mysterious name for a mysterious guy," said May as she moved her arms up and around Shadow's neck.

"Well, I really don't like to brag," said Shadow as he puts his hand on the back of his neck in embarrassment, "but I have a reason why I'm keeping my real name and identity a secret."

"Why are you doing that?" asked May.

"Uh…well I…um…how should I say this?"

_Why did I say that in front of May? I'm such an idiot!_

Shadow said nothing as he tried to come up with an excuse. May decided to take a step further to get Shadow to come up with an answer. She moved her arms down and around Shadow's waist and started to cuddle him. Shadow feels like he is going to explode out of excitement and embarrassment. He couldn't take these feelings anymore. He has to spill it.

"I'm in love with someone!" Shadow shouted.

May stopped cuddling and let go of Shadow.

"You're in love?" May asked.

"That and I'm too ashamed to show my face around everyone who I cared about…"Shadow paused for a moment as May saw some falling down onto her arms as he reminisce some painful memories. "Including my crush."

"What are you so ashamed about?" May asked once again.

"When it comes to battling other Pokemon trainers and showing kindness toward pokemon and people, I'm usually a natural at that even though I messed up quite a bit or maybe more than that along the way. I ended up with the best friends I ever have and meeting…"Shadow paused again. "…the love of my life. But the problem was that I was really dense and I get my friends into trouble."

_Why do I get the feeling that Shadow reminds me of someone I have met? _thought May.

"At that time, I just move on to achieve my goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, no matter how many Pokemon battles I have lost."

_He seemed so confident back then just like…_May eyes widen when she realized who she was thinking about…_Ash._

"But when I lost at a tournament a long time ago, my opponent called me a failure, a fool, and a coward. That's when I began to question myself if I truly deserve such good friends and would it be worth it to confess my feelings to my crush if I really were those things that my opponent said to me. I tried to shake those thoughts away when I came back to my hometown and I thought that seeing my friends would make me feel better about myself but it didn't work. I decided to go on a journey on my own, taking only a few personal items and the pokemon that I have with me with a new identity and a new name. I met many different people along the way who taught me many things in life and I won the Kanto and Johto leagues."

May was amazed to hear the achievements that Shadow have made but she was also sad about the pain that he had to go through. Shadow started to cry some more and May felt sorry for him. May was about to cry along with Shadow but she fought back her tears and started cuddling him again. While she is doing that, May started to sing the lullaby that she sang during the Millennium Comet. May remembered her Millennium Comet wish that she wanted to get together with Ash. But she forgot to fold the last tab for her wish to come true. Of course back then it was just a crush. Besides, May thought that Ash was too dense to return the feelings. When Shadow heard May singing the lullaby, he recognized it and it brought him back memories. He realized that May's singing was one of the things that made him fall in love with her in the first place. Shadow couldn't help but to sing along with May and he was feeling better. When they finished singing, Shadow hugged May.

"Thanks. I needed that," said Shadow.

"It's the least that I can do. I'm sorry that I forced you to answer my question. It must have been very painful for you," said May.

"That's okay. You were just curious that's all."

"I do wanted to ask you some more questions though. About last night," said May as her voice turned from gentle to serious.

"What do you want to know about?" asked Shadow.

"You used some kind of attack that looked like Aura Sphere. That's not normal for a human to be doing that. You're not normal, are you?"

"Nope. I'm an Aura Guardian," replied Shadow, "I learned how to use aura while I was traveling. I learned that I have the power to control aura when I was a kid but I didn't know how to use it and I didn't use it very often. My mother told me that my aura powers came from my father's side of the family. I never really knew what happen to my father though. My mother refused to tell me what happen to him. She looked upset when I asked her so something bad must have happened to him when I was very young. A guy named Riley taught me how to use aura and it took me two years to master it."

_Riley? _thought May _Isn't that the same Riley that Ash talked to me about while he, Brock, and Dawn were on Iron Island?_

"How did you know where I was when I was about to get raped?" asked May.

"I heard you screamed," remarked Shadow, "I was walking nearby when it happened. You were lucky that I saved you!" Shadow chuckled.

"Right," said May regretfully for asking such a stupid question, "One last thing, why did you risked your life for me and how did you know my name?"

Shadow froze when he realized that May is starting to become suspicious about him.

_Oh crap! _thought Shadow_ I let her name slip out of my mouth last night, didn't I? I should kill myself for being such a retard!_

"Well I…," Shadow stopped talking to think. _What should I say to her? Should I lie to her or maybe I'll just reveal myself to her? But I wanted to give a test so I can surprise her. What should I do?_

His heart was beating rapidly as he kept thinking of a good excuse. Fortunately, he was saved by the doorbell.

_Thank goodness! _thought Shadow, relieved.

He stopped walking towards the door when he realized that someone is here in his mansion.

"May, go upstairs and hide in my bedroom," urged Shadow.

"Why?" asked May, confused.

"Just do it!"

May went upstairs and went into Shadow's bedroom. She heard noises from outside and took a peek form the window. May was surprised to see hundreds, perhaps thousands, of girls waiting for their idol to come out. May sat on the floor before any of the fan girls see her.

"Wow," May said to herself, "I never knew Shadow could be so popular."

May heard the fan girls screamed and cheered when Shadow opened the door. She decided to take another peek to see what's happening.

"We love you!"

"Can I have you autograph?"

"I want to marry you!"

Shadow sweat dropped at this.

_What have I done to deserve this? _thought Shadow.

"Shadow!" cried one of the girls, "Is it me? Am I the one you love?"

"No way!" shouted another girl, "It's obvious he likes me!"

"No! He likes me!" argued the first girl.

"No! He likes me!" the second girl shouted to the first girl.

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

"He likes me!"

The two girls were constantly arguing over which one of them does Shadow likes. As for Shadow, he doesn't have interest in either one of them. His heart was already stolen by someone whom he had met long before these two girls arrived to confess their feelings to him.

"Girls! Girls!" shouted Shadow. He didn't want anyone to be fighting over him and he was getting annoyed by their arguing. "Stop it you two!" Arguing does not solve anything if you two keep this up! I don't like either one of you!"

"WHAT?" cried the two girls in unison. Then all the other girls started to shout at Shadow.

"Is it me?"

"It's me, isn't it?"

"PLEASE TELL ME IT'S ME!"

"Stop, please! You have to wait a little longer before I tell you who I like, okay? Can you please leave me alone?"

"Can we at least get your autograph?" asked all the girls all together.

_This is going to be a long day _thought Shadow.

May watched and listened to the entire scene and sat on the floor again.

"Hmm. I wonder who does Shadow likes?" May pondered.

As the day goes on, May was getting bored and then she realized that she does not have her bag.

"Oh no! My bag must have fell off while I was in the alley. I must go back there and get it!" said May with a worried tone as she put her hands on the sides of her head, "But not now. Not with all those girls out there…"

May heard the door open and close and went downstairs.

Shadow sighed. "Finally. I thought those girls will never leave," said Shadow who was worn out from all the attention.

"Shadow, I don't have my bag with me. I believe it is back in the alley. I'm going to go get it," said May as she was on her way to the door.

"May, wait! The alleys in Ever Grande City can be dangerous during the day as well as at night. I'll go with you," said Shadow concerned.

"Don't worry about me," assured May, "Besides, you wouldn't want any more attention from those fan girls." May winked.

"I have my own way of avoiding those girls," said Shadow confidently, "Tell ya what. You go get your bag and I'll follow you. Whenever you get in trouble, I'll be there to protect you. After you retrieve your bag, I'll treat you for dinner at a famous restaurant."

May giggled and blushed. "That's so sweet of you. But haven't you done enough for me already?" said May as she continues to blush.

Shadow walked over to May and put his hands on the sides of her face.

"I'm going to keep doing whatever I want to do for you because I want you to be happy all the time."

"Shadow," said May with a deep blush on her cheeks and a smile on her face.

May turned around, opened the door, and left.

Shadow was about to open the door to follow May when he realized he needs to take care of his pokemon first. He went upstairs to check on his pokemon. He opened the door to find a sleeping Pikachu.

"Pikachu and the others need to eat and rest for tomorrow," said Shadow as he grabbed his pokemon in their pokeballs and closed the door.

Shadow went downstairs and into the kitchen. He filled several bowls with Pokechow(I forget what everyone on the show calls the food that the pokemon eat so I'll just go with Pokechow) for his pokemon and took the bowls outside. He put the bowls on the patio and went back inside to grab his pokemon in their pokeballs. Shadow went outside and tossed the pokeballs in the air.

"Come out and eat, guys!" Shadow called.

Out of the pokeballs came a Torterra, a Staraptor, an Infernape, a Floatzel, and a Garchomp. They cried happily and went to their bowls to eat. Shadow went inside and filled two more bowls with Pokechow. He took the two bowls and went upstairs. Shadow went to Pikachu's room and put one of the bowls next Pikachu, who is still asleep. He turned to find a fox-like pokemon sitting on the floor who appears to be meditating.

"Lucario," Shadow said to his pokemon.

Lucario opened its eyes and he stared at his master.

"Time for dinner."

Shadow put the bowl down next to Lucario. Lucario thanked Shadow by communicating with him telepathically using its aura. Shadow sense Lucario's aura and got the message.

"You're welcome," said Shadow quietly. "Lucario, I'm going out for a while. Would you mind keeping an eye on the others?"

Lucario communicated with Shadow once again and Shadow received another message.

"Thank you," said Shadow as he walked over and silently close the door.

May searched in the alleys for her missing bag and she was having so much trouble just to find it in the big city. She couldn't remember which alley she was in the other night. After searching for a long time, May finally found her bag in the middle of the alley where she was nearly raped and saved by Shadow. May checked her bag to see if any of her belongings were missing. She was relieved when she found out that none of them were stolen especially her half of the Terrecotta Ribbon which she won with Ash.

"It's about time. I was starting to get tired of all this searching," said a familiar voice.

May turned around and saw Shadow standing at the end of the alley and smiled at him. May ran over to Shadow and hugged him. Shadow returned the gesture.

"So May," said Shadow, "shall we be heading out now?"

"Let's go. I don't want to be staying around here. It gives me the creeps."

Shadow hold May's hand and started walking. May blushed as she looks at Shadow.

_It feels like I'm going on a date with him._

Someone was watching them from the top of a building. He used a walkie-talkie to signal his boss.

"Phase 1 complete. Over," said the unknown man.

"Excellent," said a feminine voice, "You've done well. Over and out."

The voice belongs to a young woman. She grinned evilly and laughed a little.

"May Maple, you will pay."

* * *

**DUN! DUN! DUN!**

**Looks like someone is after May and romance is starting to heat up between May and Shadow! Will Shadow ever give May his test? What is Shadow's real name and identity(MANY of you would have guessed it by now)?Who is Manaphy's father(It's also obvious who he is)?Could there possibly be a connection between Shadow and Ash? Is Shadow "the one" for May? Did Shadow say something that led many girls thinking they are the one for him? Who is after May and what does she want with her?** **WHY AM I ASKING YOU ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS? Find out in the next chapter of Stranger in the Shadows!**


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